Talk:RachelLeVega's The Amazing Race 1/@comment-8163902-20151106022231
MEET THE TEAMS Andy & Lauren (28 & 27 yrs.) - Co-workers from Birmingham, Alabama; Andrew Dennis and Lauren Grahawk were inches away from budding an office romance, but settled on camaraderie, and furthermore professionals. They have helped each other claim "Employee of the Year" at their lighting tech firm and develop maturity they both lacked attending college. While both are single, neither are set to return to seek fish just yet. In the meantime, they want to gain more experience of the world before committing to a relationship whether with others or each other. Andy enjoys playing basketball with his gym-mates, dirt biking, DIYing, exotic eating, and watching on-air sports in his spare time. Lauren enjoys creating abstract art, jogging, tending her fruit orchard, philosophy, and interior decorating. Lauren, a huge Race fan, could not fathom the thought of running with her argumentative family which she said would turn holidays into jealous brawls. She picked and coached Andy to be her partner, who recently began viewing TAR. Together, they realize "teamwork is a leap ahead of individual desires (Lauren)" and are set for an extravagant journey. Betty & Donny''' (72 & 71 yrs.) - ''Grandparents from Newark, New Jersey; Betty and Donny Malone have been married for 32 years and are dancing in their 70s with much energy as their hockey-playing grandson. Betty, a retired radio host, wears many hats within her community as a speech therapist's assistant, church group organizer, and a freelance writer. Donny is an ambitious self-employed mechanical engineer currently working on branding his own watercraft hoverboard invention. They both love coasting along the Jersey Shore to comb the sands and compete against youngsters in beach volleyball. Despite their lively personalities, they prefer to pay attention to the calmer side of things: reading good books and magazines, mimicking bird calls, and waltzing at the local jazz joint. Being Race fans since the beginning, they plan on surprising everyone with their charisma and sage wits. '''''Carol & Josh (22 yrs.) - Lifelong friends from Greater Sudbury, Ontario; Carol Donally and Josh Armes were raised in the same town and have grown up together like two peas in a pod. They made a pact to retain their friendship: "friends until everything stops moving (Josh)". As a matter of fact, they went to the same schools, summer camps, parties, and sometimes even clubs to show their unwavering honor. They both recently graduated from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario and are finally branching away to pursue different goals. Carol is an inventory specialist for a Canadian-based clothing store and enjoys watching movies, cooking and transforming her hairstyle daily, while Josh, who enjoys to "live like an indie rebel (Josh)", is ready to dive into the world of stock exchange in Manhattan, New York. They joined TAR to reconnect as the greatest friends one more time before dispersing into their new busy lives. CJ & Damien'' ' (29 yrs.) - ''Twins/professional surfers from Melbourne, Florida; C.J. and Damien Hobgood, top-tier surfers, hold a bit of sibling rivalry to create a unique swagger for themselves. Though above all their sneaky soundbites, savoring their times as fatherhood does wonders to mitigate the one-uppers' playful war. Besides catching the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, C.J. enjoys playing tennis, biking, and skateboarding. Damien loves spending time with his kids and wife, mentoring the next generation of surfers, and camping. In preparation for TAR, they brushed up on their world geography and foreign language skills while hitting the gym to focus on crushing the name of the game. '''''Jack & Allison (49 & 24 yrs.) - Father & daughter from Calgary, Alberta; Jack and Allison Hodgkins are the ordinary neighbors who have an extaordinary secret. Two autumns ago, they trekked across the snowing Canadian Rockies where Jack, a botanist at the Mount Royal University, took her daughter on vacation to collect samples of plant resins. A freak snowstorm rolled in during that time, trapping them in a contact-ridden area until they rescued themselves by persistently digging to a clearance five hours later. Since that occurrence, they were motivated to go on more hands-on adventures. Though their savings are tight, they traveled locally to take in all what Alberta had to offer. Jack enjoys gardening, working out, welding, and custom woodwork projects. Allison, a sales rep, enjoys anything artsy-fartsy, showing her Stampeders pride, and playing tennis. Race fans since its inception, they want to run it because, "Who wouldn't like to take a paid trip around the world?! (Allison)". Jen & Erin (27 & 25 yrs.) - Shopping consultants from Torrance, California/Rosemead, California; Jen Brehman and Erin Strathatch are savvy, sweet, and self-aware when it comes to keeping their clients fashionable and forward. With their business of persuasion inside designer wholesale stores and selling merchandise on QVC Network, they can talk Arctic penguins into buying ice. Despite their finesse in auctioneering, they are friendly and humble as they come. Jen auditioned for four years with her fiance for the original version before discovering her co-worker Erin was a secret TAR fanatic. While Jen enjoys jewelry making, eating out, singing karaoke, and unconventional gatherings, Erin is more reserved, spending time with her boyfriend, cooking, and reading magazines. Their plan for the grand prize if they win is a big donation to the foster home charity they have worked with for a decade and a nice wedding for Jen and her soon-to-be husband. Maggie & Ashley''' (25 yrs.) - ''Best friends from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador/St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador; Maggie Roose and Ashley Amundsen became jovial best friends in their sophomore year of high school at a sculpting camp - one a former beauty pageant/child model, and the other had anxiously yet to decide on her life goals. They took on barista jobs together over the summers leading up to college where they hung out every day and had their daily girl talk. Post-adolescence, Maggie is counseling Canadian military veterans and a group advocate, and Ashley stays close to home as an entrepreneur, currently running her own drinks-on-wheels mobile boutique. Maggie enjoys dancing, visiting her family and friends, and helping people feel good about themselves. Ashley enjoys caring for animals, playing inflatable soccer, and vodka once a week. Preparing for the TAR invite, they played language trivia, studied up on maps, budgeting games, and jumped rope, boxes, fences, and ran an hour every day. ''Nathan & Rachel (22 yrs.) - ''Boyfriend & girlfriend from Arcadia, South Carolina/Spartanburg, South Carolina; Nathan Saliner and Rachel Jones, both South Carolina State University graduates, first caught sight of each other at a pub. Originally rivals from upstaging social cliques, they kept their relationship on the low for five months until one of Nathan's friends discovered the private affair. Even with their love overshining their flaws, their approach to the race is ostensibly different. While Nathan has a straightforward and laid-back personality, Rachel prefers focus and organization for what may lay ahead. They both enjoy camping, clubbing, baking together, and telling dramatized anecdotes. Though Nathan believes beer dare is an underrated sport, and Rachel thinking the snake game on her cell phone is a guilty pleasure, their overall strategy to win the Race is to have the most no-strings-attached fun possible, and their grand plan for the $750K is paying off their student loans - "as what any self-respecting college student would do (Nathan)". ''Rob & Vince (44 & 35 yrs.) - ''Police officers from Atlanta, Georgia; Robert Gleam and Vincent Scarloughy have served their city in the face of danger together since 1997. Working alongside each other, they have grown to become tightly knit and treat one another like family. Rob is married to his wife of fourteen years and have two children. Vince is a happy, single man with a big heart and ready for love. These two buddies need to brace themselves to sprint at a moment's notice, and they auditioned for the Race believing the show will play a vital role to boost their energy and focus - and possibly lose weight in the process. Rob enjoys barbeques, driving the squad car around town, extreme cornhole, and sunbathing. Vince enjoys drama performances, rugby, and the feeling after creaming someone in a round of video games. If they win the Race, they plan to give half of the money to Rob to take his family on vacation and the other half to fund a school. '''''Will & Kimberlie (53 & 47 yrs.) - Husband & wife from Toronto, Ontario; Will Carter and Kimberlie Carter (née Wells) have been married for eight years and hope to maintain their marriage for an eternity strong. As a couple with a history of overwhelming indifferences, they want to tone down their aggressiveness and learn to not interfere with each other's beliefs. Being nice toward people is never a challenge, but disagreements between them can flood into a stream of "right and wrong bickering (Will)". Will sees himself as level-headed and demanding when it comes to making a decision. Kimberlie has a method to her madness, being raised on a hardworking Manitoba farm with uptight, religious parents. Things may go awry as they claim, but what they can truthfully agree on is theirs to savor privately. By signing up for TAR, they plan to use the time traveling the world to bring themselves closer. ''Yasmin & Relina (48 & 24 yrs.) - ''Mother & daughter from Elgin, Texas; Yasmin and Relina Riley call themselves "the unlikely two (Yasmin)". The meaning behind the phrase: on the outside, they are a stable family; the inside reveals the rough patches. Relina grew up in some of her mother's darkest hours. Yasmin had undergone a divorce, lost her job, and their small house in the same year. They lived resourcefully and depended on themselves to bring comfort and decency for two years until Relina was hired as a fast food cashier. Relina worked tirelessly until she was promoted as part of the management staff. Nowadays, she franchises the citywide market to sustain she and her mother, and is on her way to a statewide leadership title. Yasmin, striving for her real estate license, is determined on standing back on her feet and gutting adversity by its throat. Both fans of the Race, they are in it to win not simply for the money, but for the time they may never have a chance at again, regain the interaction with the world they were isolated from, and reestablish their willpower.